Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 5: **Destruction
Cheng Gangzhu suddenly moved, and Ji Zichen felt a gust beside her as Gale rushed past her. With both palms pushing forward like crashing waves, the Fire Lion was sent flying by Cheng Gangzhu's powerful strike.
The Fire Lion let out a muffled groan, resembling the drifting of willow fluff, prompting Xia Zhou to angrily exclaim, "Look at what you've done to him! Why are you still tormenting him?"
Ji Zichen's gaze turned serious as she looked at Cheng Gangzhu. Xia Zhou raised his brows and launched the Eight Desolation Needles towards Cheng Gangzhu. Unfazed, Cheng Gangzhu countered with the Fox Spines, causing Xia Zhou to stagger back a step from the impact. Cheng Gangzhu laughed coldly, "Why are you afraid to throw your needles now? You can't even blow me up; do you think you can stab me to death?"
Xia Zhou attacked several times in succession, but Cheng Gangzhu skillfully evaded each strike. Frustrated and furious, Xia Zhou realized that he was indeed slightly inferior to Cheng Gangzhu in martial arts.
Ji Zichen noticed that Xia Zhou refrained from throwing needles because he had very few left. Without hesitation, she brandished her Demon-Slaying Sword and slashed diagonally at Cheng Gangzhu.
The two joined forces to attack Cheng Gangzhu, while a Sand Bandit shouted from behind, "That person is also making a move!"
Another Sand Bandit angrily chimed in, "Two against one? How shameless!"
Ji Zichen leaped above Cheng Gangzhu, while Xia Zhou simultaneously thrust the Eight Desolation Needles towards Cheng Gangzhu's chest. The Sand Bandits watched in confusion as the two attacked from different angles. One of the Yellow Sand Bandits asked, "What does that person jumping into the air intend to do?"
Ji Zichen found the perfect position and shouted, "You can't escape now!"
From above Cheng Gangzhu's head, Ji Zichen unleashed a fire dragon from her Demon-Slaying Sword. The overwhelming heat erupted forth as the fire dragon roared fiercely. Suddenly feeling the intense heat, Xia Zhou instinctively withdrew his attack. The fire dragon roared mightily, its hollow eyes mercilessly swallowing Cheng Gangzhu whole.
This move was no different from the technique used to kill Killer; the fire dragon's heat surged violently, turning the ground crimson within a five-zhang radius. The Sand Bandits gasped in shock and cried out, "The leader has been swallowed by the fire dragon!"
As the fire dragon engulfed Cheng Gangzhu, it blazed like an inferno rising dozens of feet high. Ji Zichen released the fire dragon and gracefully landed on the ground. As soon as her feet touched down, the once-red ground returned to normal; the fire dragon vanished, revealing Cheng Gangzhu unchanged from before—he was wrapped entirely in Fox Spines like a hedgehog.
The Fox Spines covering Cheng Gangzhu glowed red-hot as if freshly forged from a blazing furnace.
At this moment, silence fell over the scene. The earlier wild flames of the fire dragon spread like shockwaves towards the Sand Bandits. One of them felt his throat dry out from this wave of heat and exclaimed in astonishment, "This heat is even more intense than before!"
This Sand Bandit stared at Ji Zichen in sheer terror and muttered in disbelief, "Is that person even human anymore?"
At that moment, Cheng Gangzhu's Fox Spines glowed red like burning coals, gradually cracking and falling to the ground. His voice emerged from the enveloping Fox Spines—no, more accurately, from the fox fur itself. Cheng Gangzhu's tone was unusually hoarse, as if his throat had been scorched dry by the flames. He gasped, " Ji Zichen, I haven't provoked you. Why are you making things difficult for me?"
Ji Zichen glared fiercely, her gaze fixed on the still-hidden Cheng Gangzhu. She shouted, "Because he is my friend! If you dare to harm my friend, I will rip off your Fox Spines!"
Cheng Gangzhu slowly withdrew his fox fur and stood before Ji Zichen. However, at that moment, his hair was disheveled, and the heavy fox fur had fallen away. The once thick fur now lay discarded, revealing Cheng Gangzhu's lean physique before everyone.
The Sand Bandits looked on in shock and fear. "The leader's fox fur..."
As soon as the first Sand Bandit spoke, a second one gasped in disbelief. "The leader's fur, which is harder than a stubborn rock, couldn't withstand that fire dragon!"
Without the protection of his fur, Cheng Gangzhu resembled an eagle with clipped wings—formidable yet rendered weaker than a wild chicken without its flight.
The destruction of his fox fur left Ji Zichen seething with anger, but Cheng Gangzhu reminded himself that while the fur was precious, it could not compare to Ruins Wealth. He shouted, "What are you all standing around for? Stop dawdling and capture that woman!"
Compared to capturing Ji Zichen or Xia Zhou, capturing Lin Chuyu would be much simpler. No matter what, Cheng Gangzhu was determined to reach the ruins today.
Over a dozen Sand Bandits obeyed their leader's command without hesitation and rushed toward Lin Chuyu. Although she was protected by Vermilion Bird Scales and could withstand blades and swords, Lin Chuyu lacked martial skills. Upon realizing she was the target of those Sand Bandits, she became frightened even before they approached.
Lin Chuyu initially wanted to transform into a Vermilion Bird and fly away, but at that moment she found herself unable to manifest her bird form. She exclaimed in surprise, "How can this be?"
Little did she know that her Vermilion Bird Form had limitations. In Zhuque Chenjing, she could easily transform into it; however, this was the human realm. Moreover, being a novice made it impossible for her to manifest her Vermilion Bird Form in a moment of crisis. The difficulty in displaying her Vermilion Bird Form in the human world stemmed from a Divine Language imposed by the divine beings.
The Divine Language was akin to a curse; simply put, the Vermilion Bird Form could only be exhibited within Zhuque Chenjing or in rifts not considered part of the human realm. To fully display her Vermilion Bird Form in the human world required years of mastery. All members of the Vermilion Bird clan were aware of this Divine Language; thus, they cultivated their human forms for easier movement among humans.
Seeing over a dozen Sand Bandits rushing toward Lin Chuyu, Ji Zichen moved her shoulder slightly but hadn't taken a step when Cheng Gangzhu called out to her, " Ji Zichen, I've been watching you!"
Ignoring him as she moved her body, Ji Zichen dodged as Cheng Gangzhu struck at her with his palm. She sensed his attack coming slowly—like an old man trying to compete with a vigorous youth.
Ji Zichen evaded his strike and shot back fiercely, "Cheng Gangzhu! Without your Sand Robe, you're just like an old man! I don't want to hurt you, but don't force me to take action!"
Cheng Gangzhu fumed with embarrassment and anger. "As the leader of Yellow Sand Gang, how can I be looked down upon by you? Even without my Sand Robe, I can still take your life!"
At that moment, the screams of two Sand Bandits echoed through the air. These two Sand Bandits had been slain by Xia Zhou, who had already rushed to Lin Chuyu's side when he saw her being besieged.
Cheng Gangzhu paid no attention to the cries of the Sand Bandits. He launched a palm strike towards Ji Zichen's face. Ji Zichen stepped back, avoiding a direct confrontation with Cheng Gangzhu.
Seeing Cheng Gangzhu in such a predicament, Fire Lion couldn't help but chuckle through his pain. "Cheng Gangzhu, now you finally understand how it feels to be tormented by you."
Cheng Gangzhu indeed felt it; he was filled with shame and anger. His eyes glinted with malice as he suddenly redirected his palm wind and struck fiercely at Fire Lion, roaring, "I will kill you!"
Fire Lion was already at his limit and could not withstand Cheng Gangzhu's blow. The strike landed on Ji Zichen instead; being young and strong, Ji Zichen could endure it without fatal consequences. But Fire Lion was different. Cheng Gangzhu's palm struck Fire Lion's chest, causing him to spit out a fountain of blood.
The blood sprayed forth like cold snowflakes falling from the sky, causing Ji Zichen to shudder. "Fire Lion!"
Fire Lion's body fell backward heavily, crashing to the ground. His vision began to blur, and a final sincere smile appeared on his face as he murmured, " Ji Zichen... I'm sorry... I betrayed you... but I actually..."
Before Fire Lion could finish his sentence, he fell silent.
Cheng Gangzhu turned to face Ji Zichen with a sinister grin. " Ji Zichen, you can't blame me for this; he chose to die himself."
Ji Zichen's gaze darkened, an unprecedented coldness radiating from his eyes. He showed no surprise or anger, merely stating coldly, "I will not hold back, Cheng Gangzhu."
Without mercy, Ji Zichen swung the Demon-Slaying Sword, piercing it through Cheng Gangzhu's chest. Cheng Gangzhu's legs buckled beneath him as he knelt on the ground, his head drooping heavily.
The remaining Sand Bandits were horrified to see Cheng Gangzhu killed by Ji Zichen. They cried out in fear, "Boss!"
Cheng Gangzhu could no longer respond to them; with his death, the Sand Bandits scattered like frightened birds and beasts.
The next day at Fire Cloud Residence, on the top platform outside Fire Lion's quarters, Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou leaned against the railing gazing out when Lin Chuyu suddenly woke up from her sleep on Fire Lion's large and comfortable bed, exclaiming, "Brother Ji...!"
Hearing Lin Chuyu's startled voice, Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou hurried inside. Upon seeing Lin Chuyu with beads of cold sweat on her forehead, Ji Zichen looked at her tenderly and asked with concern, "What’s wrong?"
Lin Chuyu relaxed upon seeing Ji Zichen and replied, "It's nothing... I just dreamed that those Sand Bandits were charging at me..."
Ji Zichen suddenly realized and smiled, saying, "It's over; those Sand Bandits have already left."
To lighten the mood, Xia Zhou joked, "If I were to be targeted by so many Sand Bandits, I think I would be quite scared myself."
Lin Chuyu smiled and playfully scolded, "Brother Xia, what nonsense are you talking? Who said those Sand Bandits had their eyes on you?"
At that moment, Xia Zhou sighed lightly. "Our journey to Fire Cloud Residence has unexpectedly witnessed so many deaths."
Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu fell silent, and Xia Zhou continued, "But speaking of which, you still haven't managed to obtain the recipe for Swallow Brew."
Ji Zichen felt a pang of regret. "I've already done my best."
Xia Zhou chuckled. "Well, if you didn't get it, then so be it. It seems you weren't planning to open Jiyun Residence anyway; even if you had the recipe, it wouldn't be of much use."
Ji Zichen smiled and chose not to dwell on it further.
Just then, Ji Zichen looked out from the house and noticed several dark figures hurrying toward Fire Cloud Residence. She immediately alerted them, "Someone is coming!"
Xia Zhou followed Ji Zichen's gaze. Since they were still quite far away, he couldn't make out the faces of the approaching figures. He asked, "Is it those Sand Bandits again?"
As the dark figures gradually drew closer to Fire Cloud Residence, Lin Chuyu exclaimed in surprise, "They're not Sand Bandits; they're the staff from Fire Cloud Residence!"
Comment 0 Comment Count